On the left side mounted on on top of the front cylinder it looks like an emissions carbon canister. Is that what it is, and to remove it, is it just a matter of plugging the vacuum and feed lines and tossing that stuff in the trash?

On the left side mounted on on top of the front cylinder it looks like an emissions carbon canister. Is that what it is, and to remove it, is it just a matter of plugging the vacuum and feed lines and tossing that stuff in the trash?

That's what it is, but removing it is a little more complicated than that. Over on apriliaforums.com, there is a detailed description of what to remove, what to plug, and what to connect together. They call it the "canisterectomy".

Gearing Update:

So I went for an 8-hour ride to and around the San Francisco Bay Area to buy a helmet from an inmate and visit friends and whatnot. It's been a while since I've ridden around the San Jose area, and boy does traffic flow fast now! It seemed to average between 80 and 90 mph. With a 48 tooth rear sprocket, the DD hums along at 6000 to 7000 rpm between 80 and 100 mph. The stock exhaust is actually a bit loud at those rpm's, and the bike seemed to love it! Throttle reponse was almost instant (I kept it in "Tour" mode all day), which was good during the one close call I had that day. Another car and I chose the middle lane at the same time, and a quick rapp of the throttle got me about 5 feet ahead of her bumper just in time. She continued to tailgate me, so I stretched the DD's legs a bit to find another pocket away from the offending car.

The bike can still do 120 easily, but the 80 to 100 bracket was lots of fun. For those who plan to use their DD for travelling, you may not want to change the gearing much more than I have, or you may find yourself maxed out on top speed during jaunts like this. For me, adding two teeth to the rear is turning out to be perfect.

P.S. The new XD4 helmet I picked up really reduced wind drag on my head, too. It was so much quieter than my old helmet it felt like I was wearing ear plugs.

Are there any good non-"I'm trying to sell you something" reviews of the DD 1200 out there? I own its evil stepbrother but Ducati ditched the air cooled motor and 1100cc for 2013, so my next ride will likely be a DD. I still love the looks of the Dorso and would like to own one some day. Might have to go for a test ride this spring.

New owner of a DD, wondering what everyone is running for oil and where they are buying it. Also any descent/reasonably priced covers out there for the DD? What is the verdict on the gel seat? is it worth it or are there better options available. Thanks

Bmb777 screwed with this post 12-12-2012 at 08:15 PM
Reason: forgot to ask about gel seat...........

Are there any good non-"I'm trying to sell you something" reviews of the DD 1200 out there? I own its evil stepbrother but Ducati ditched the air cooled motor and 1100cc for 2013, so my next ride will likely be a DD. I still love the looks of the Dorso and would like to own one some day. Might have to go for a test ride this spring.

I assume you know the DD is also water cooled? The service intervals are much longer on the Aprilia engine bikes, though, so maint is less than the Ducs. There don't seem to be many 1200 owners on Advrider, maybe the adventure crowd finds them too heavy, and would rather get something more dirt oriented if they are going big? There is an entire section of threads devoted to the 1200 over on Apliliaforums, though.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bmb777
New owner of a DD, wondering what everyone is running for oil and where they are buying it. Also any descent/reasonably priced covers out there for the DD? What is the verdict on the gel seat? is it worth it or are there better options available. Thanks

There is a running joke about people asking what oil to use, usually followed by sarcastic questions about what air to use in the tires. There are as many opinions as there are brands of oil. Any quality synthetic that meets the same standards seems to make the bike happy. Personally, I just order the Agip oil and OEM filter (there are fitment issues with other filters) from AF1 racing. That way there is no question when it comes to warranty, and I have a record that I purchased the goods to keep the warranty valid.

The gel seat? Everyone says it is a very slight improvement, which isn't enough justification for me, considering how often I need to stop for fuel. An inmate on this forum named CPAllen used to have a custom Renazco seat up for sale for about double the cost of the gel seat. That might be worth the money if you are serious about it. You might contact him to see if he still has it.

There is a running joke about people asking what oil to use, usually followed by sarcastic questions about what air to use in the tires. There are as many opinions as there are brands of oil. Any quality synthetic that meets the same standards seems to make the bike happy. Personally, I just order the Agip oil and OEM filter (there are fitment issues with other filters) from AF1 racing. That way there is no question when it comes to warranty, and I have a record that I purchased the goods to keep the warranty valid.

The gel seat? Everyone says it is a very slight improvement, which isn't enough justification for me, considering how often I need to stop for fuel. An inmate on this forum named CPAllen used to have a custom Renazco seat up for sale for about double the cost of the gel seat. That might be worth the money if you are serious about it. You might contact him to see if he still has it.

New owner of a DD, wondering what everyone is running for oil and where they are buying it. Also any descent/reasonably priced covers out there for the DD? What is the verdict on the gel seat? is it worth it or are there better options available. Thanks

The gel seat is a little more comfortable and looks way better than the stocker. They are pretty cheap too (around $100) so it was worth it for the looks alone.

I assume you know the DD is also water cooled? The service intervals are much longer on the Aprilia engine bikes, though, so maint is less than the Ducs. There don't seem to be many 1200 owners on Advrider, maybe the adventure crowd finds them too heavy, and would rather get something more dirt oriented if they are going big? There is an entire section of threads devoted to the 1200 over on Apliliaforums, though.

There is a running joke about people asking what oil to use, usually followed by sarcastic questions about what air to use in the tires. There are as many opinions as there are brands of oil. Any quality synthetic that meets the same standards seems to make the bike happy. Personally, I just order the Agip oil and OEM filter (there are fitment issues with other filters) from AF1 racing. That way there is no question when it comes to warranty, and I have a record that I purchased the goods to keep the warranty valid.

The gel seat? Everyone says it is a very slight improvement, which isn't enough justification for me, considering how often I need to stop for fuel. An inmate on this forum named CPAllen used to have a custom Renazco seat up for sale for about double the cost of the gel seat. That might be worth the money if you are serious about it. You might contact him to see if he still has it.

Yes I know they're also water cooled. My point was that if Duc was going the same route....and I already have a Duc...and I really like the Dorso looks...might as well look long and hard into the Dorso. I have my bike for dirt. I'm just looking for another liter + bike for the twisties.

I actually had the chance to sit on/fondle a 1200 in person last week at the local bike show. It was one of those bikes that I had heard of, but didn't realize they even imported them into Canada.
If I were in the market for an exotic, long-legged Italian ( my wife says I'm not in the market for anything with that description), the 1200 DD would probably be at the top of the list. The other issue would be, the number of Aprillia dealers in this country you can count on one hand. Very cool bike. Totally impressed by the way it looked and felt.
But then I'm probably preaching to the converted.]

__________________If you get far enough away, you'll be on your way home.Piss off, I'm in my Happy place.